


so close, so far

by yurishika



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2013762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurishika/pseuds/yurishika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>yuna kim is the front-runner for prom queen, and all denis wants is one dance with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	so close, so far

The prom has been going great so far, but then again, only thirty minutes have passed since they’ve opened gates, and the seniors are still lining up in the photo booth. Denis watches as Javier fumbles over Cortney’s corsage, the photographer tapping his foot impatiently. Javier finally puts it on before the rest of the class behind him complains, and Cortney is too willing to wrap her arms around Javier’s neck as the photographer snaps away.

When everything is going smoothly, Denis turns his attention to the rest of the gym. The caterer is already heating up the food, and Minseok is dutifully guarding the punch bowl. On the other side, Yuzuru and Kanako are collecting ballots for Prom King and Queen, the photos of the nominees lined up on the desks in frames Denis remembers Maia buying a couple of hours ago. Meanwhile, Gracie and Jason are by the foot of the stage, doing last-minute prep for their hosting stint as the band starts to play. A grin spreads to his face because, what do you know, the first and only senior prom that he’ll ever organize looks like a success so far.

There’s a tap on his shoulder, and Denis looks and finds Maia, looking stunning in her black V-neck dress. From behind Maia, he can see her older brother Alex dragging Javier and Cortney to a nearby table. “Everything okay in your end, Maia?” he asks.

“Relax, Denis,” Maia says with a reassuring grin. “Everything’s under control, so just relax and keep checking every now and then, okay?”

Maia’s right. Denis hasn’t had any decent sleep for the past week, making sure that everything will be under control. Maybe it’s time to loosen up for a bit and have some fun, even if this isn’t his prom to enjoy. As long as the punch bowl doesn’t get spiked and that the Prom King and Queen ballots don’t get rigged, then everything will be fine.

Suddenly he hears a commotion by the entrance, and Denis instantly rushes to find out what’s going on. It’s not exactly a huge commotion, he comes to find out. It’s just the well-known kids in school entering the gym, cheerleading captain Mao Asada breaking away from her boyfriend Taka Kozuka to hug student council president Yuna Kim, with tennis star Patrick Chan right beside her. Both women are flawless, and both men look dapper in their suits, but if Denis is being honest with himself, it’s Yuna who is taking everyone’s breath away, including his.

Yuna looks like she had just walked out of a Disney princess film, looking gorgeous in her red halter neck dress, her hair down but adorned by a silver headband. Other girls tend to wear something flashy or something they’d seen in the latest _Elle_ or _Seventeen_ magazine, but Yuna makes everything she wears look flawless, even if she’s just wearing a T-shirt and jeans. “Heck, Yuna Kim can wear a potato sack and still look flawless,” he recalls Maia saying one time.

Yuna looks at his direction, and she breaks into a smile that sends his heartbeat going on overdrive. “Denis!” she says with a wave, causing the people around them to look at him. Denis feels self-conscious as he approaches her.

“Hey, Yuna,” he greets, trying to act as neutrally as possible. He looks at Patrick at the corner of his eye, but the man is busy chatting with Mao and Taka as they lined up for photos. “You’re beautiful.” Suddenly the air has gotten hotter as the words slipped out of his mouth, and all he wants right now is to make up some excuse to do head organizer stuff and—

Yuna throws back her head and laughs like she was singing a melody; Denis would like to listen to her laugh as long as he can. “Thank you, Denis, you’re so sweet,” she says. She then takes a look around, humming in approval. “This place looks great.”

“Thanks. I learned from the best.” Denis grins, fondly remembering a year ago when he was tempted to back out of the head organizer position the moment Yuna dumped the files on his desk. Last year’s prom had been a success all because of Yuna, and he didn’t know if he could live up to that. But Yuna had given him a reassuring pat on the back and had told her, “Keep calm, and it everything will be under control.” It had taken those words for Denis not to go on a mental breakdown every time preparations didn’t go the way he wanted to.

Yuna laughs again, hand on his arm, and Denis feels a jolt of electricity course throughout his body. He’s tempted to move closer, but his brain is quick to remind him that he can’t.

“Yuna!” Patrick has approached them, sliding a hand around her waist as if to make a point. “Mao and Taka are done with their photo shoot. It’s our turn.”

“Oh, right!” Yuna looks at him apologetically. “I’ll see you around?”

“Okay ...” Denis manages to say before Patrick whisks her away. He manages to let out his long sigh when Yuna and Patrick were out of earshot, a sigh for a dream that is most likely never going to come true.

 

 

 

 

“I like you, Yuna.”

It had been a three-year attraction, as far as Denis can remember. He was a freshman back then, and Yuna a sophomore who was in charge of making them feel welcome in the freshmen orientation, and the way she smiled was so sincere as she made sure to remember most of their names made Denis like her instantly.

He’s not the only one who has fallen for Yuna Kim, and he had come to find out that it was no surprise. Even if she was a sophomore, she was practically high school royalty, the girl every girl wants to be with and every guy wants to take home to their parents. She’s beautiful, smart, talented, not to mention kind. She already won student council president by a landslide, and she’s helped glee club win the national tournament and has organized lots of charity drives, all while getting straight As. It’s most probable that she’ll win Prom Queen, too.

He didn’t know what made him say those words one night when they were the only ones left in the glee club practice room. He didn’t think he’d be anyone better than the rest of the guys who had asked Yuna out but had been rejected. But he’d like to believe, or at least get it out of his chest. Earlier that day, Yuna had received her acceptance letter in the country’s top university, and she’ll be moving there after graduation. It’s most likely that they’ll only see each other again in the next glee club reunion.

Yuna had looked sorry, and Denis could tell that she was sincerely sorry about this, and said, “Denis, you’re a nice guy, but I don’t feel the same way.”

The words stung, of course, but Denis had braced himself for this. “Oh, okay,” he says, trying to sound as neutral as possible. He didn’t feel like he was going to cry or anything, but he could feel the sadness kicking in.

He had never expected the next few words:

“I’m going out with Patrick.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised by that news. If anyone in the opposite sex is going to be Yuna’s equal in terms of high school royalty, it would be Patrick Chan. Patrick’s the star of the tennis club, bringing home the gold in the national championship and having sights on joining senior-level competitions starting next year. He gets straight As, too, and is scheduled to take up business and finance in another prestigious university. Girls have described him to be a gentleman, and most of the guys in school have nothing but nice—or neutral—things to say about him.

Maybe it’s something he should have expected. After all, Yuna and Patrick are good friends, and there have been moments of casual flirtation that Denis had most probably closed his eyes to. When news of them dating broke out, most of the comments were that of jubilation and “Finally!” than tears and sadness.

Denis is sure that he’s part of the latter.

 

 

 

 

“You okay?”

Denis snaps back to reality, to Maia looking at him with concern. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary anywhere—Gracie and Jason getting the crowd hyped up, Yuzuru and Kanako counting the ballots, and Minseok giving Elladj a careful eye from his side near the punch bowl. He blinks and manages a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

His smile must have faltered when his eyes drifted to the nearby table. Patrick had whispered something to Yuna’s ear, causing her to go in a fit of giggles, and now Maia is giving him a knowing look.

“You’re looking at her again,” she points out. “I thought you’ve made it clear that you’re over Yuna.”

“I am,” he says, half-lying. It’s never easy to get over a rejection, even if he had expected it, especially when the object of your one-sided affections is someone you see regularly, arms around someone else. “Sometimes it just creeps back to me, you know.”

Maia sighs, fortunately not out of resignation. “Well, it can’t be helped—you fall hard, you fall fast.” She holds up her camera and puts on a comforting expression. “Cheer up, okay? It’s prom, and everyone is supposed to be having fun.”

Denis manages to chuckle at that. “I will. Thanks, Maia.”

“Denis!” Yuzuru is striding towards him, two envelopes in hand. “It’s ready.”

“Thanks.” Denis accepts the envelope, and he’s tempted to look at the results. Part of him already knows that this has been a landslide win, but you never know. “Time to give this to Principal Orser.”

As expected, it’s Patrick and Yuna who have been crowned Prom King and Queen, and the other candidates (Mao and Taka, Javier and Cortney) didn’t seem bitter about it. The couple shares a hug on stage after being crowned, before having their first, slow dance.

Denis watches from his side on his stage, and his chest starts to hurt a bit. He wishes that, just for once, he’d be able to dance with Yuna; for once, Yuna would look at him the same way she would look at Patrick.

But that’s only wishful thinking.

Which is why he almost has to pinch himself when Yuna is suddenly in front of him, stretching out her hand. She smiles, and she seems radiant in the gym lights. “Dance with me, Denis,” she says.

He blinks rapidly, making sure he heard right. “Where’s Patrick?” he asks, the words too quick out of his mouth.

Yuna looks over her shoulder and grins. “He’s with Tessa and Scott.” She chuckles. “Relax. Patrick knows we’re good friends, and there’s nothing wrong with two friends dancing, right?”

_Friends_. The word is a double-edged sword. It’s a relationship with Yuna that Denis had come to cherish, but sometimes Denis wishes they’d divert into more than that. Still, this is his chance, so he takes her hand. “Shall we, my queen?”

Dancing with Yuna feels like Denis is just re-living a dream that he’d had one too many times. Yuna staring at him as they slow dance makes him feel self-conscious, and he directs his gaze to anywhere but her, which causes her to lightly hit him in the arm. “Do I have something on my face?” she asks lightly.

“No, no!” Denis shakes his head furiously, trying not to let them bump into Javier and Cortney, already close to making out on the dance floor. “You’re perfect. It’s just …”

“Is it awkward?” Yuna looks more sympathetic, and Denis feels bad for making her feel bad. “Because I’m sor—”

“Don’t,” Denis interrupts, his grip on Yuna’s waist tightening. “Don’t apologize. I should be. I was just looking back on my feelings, that’s all.”

“You’re an amazing guy, Denis,” Yuna says, reaching out her hand to ruffle his hair. “Someday, you’ll find someone who’ll return your feelings, and it’s going to be the best thing that’s going to happen in your life.”

_Someone else, but she’s not you_ , Denis thinks, but he chooses not to say it. He’s still glad Yuna still cares about him. “Thank you,” he says, and his smile is not forced this time. “Thank you, Yuna.”

The dance is short-lived, because Minseok has suddenly tackled Elladj, who had the golden opportunity to spike the punch bowl when the former was in the bathroom. Fortunately, only Elladj got in trouble, and the next thing Denis knew is that Patrick has whisked Yuna away in their arms, foreheads resting against each other. It’s such a tender moment, one that Denis wishes to have with Yuna, but only in his dreams.

Prom is finally over after what felt like a lifetime, and Denis stays back to make sure that everyone in the committee is cleaning up. Yuna and Patrick are the last couple to leave, Yuna thanking everyone for working hard and hugging them in the process. Denis feels stiff as Yuna hugs him, but he allows himself to relax and return it, without any feelings attached.

And as he watches Yuna climb in Patrick’s car, Denis realizes that dreams must come to an end.

**Author's Note:**

> \- oh, look! it's not mizuru!  
> \- the title is taken from the song [_so close_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBhF3m1kCDs) by jon mclaughlin. the fic is inspired by the song [_prom_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDEb-YA-lPQ) by sugarfree.  
>  \- dedicated to tyb and our yunaden feels. special thanks to clemencio for being my beta. <3


End file.
